


The Kyoshi Warriors

by elizabethemerald



Series: ATLA Stories [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, Kyoshi Island, Polyamorous Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24938740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabethemerald/pseuds/elizabethemerald
Summary: The Gaang, freshly from the Southern Air Temple find themselves on Kyoshi Island. Azula observant as ever notices something unusual with the Kyoshi Warriors. Now she needs to work up the courage to ask Suki about her relationship with the warriors. And what the answer could mean for Azula and her blossoming crush on Katara.
Relationships: Azula/Katara (Avatar), Kyoshi Warriors/Suki (Avatar)
Series: ATLA Stories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768270
Comments: 23
Kudos: 177





	The Kyoshi Warriors

**Kyoshi Island**

Suki frowned as she trained with her fellow Kyoshi warriors. The Avatar had returned to Kyoshi Island. Almost everyone on the island was thrilled, his presence filling the town with color and excitement again. There were however a few who saw the Avatar’s return as a siren that would draw conflict to the island. Suki was dedicated to making sure her warriors were ready when the conflict found them. 

Her mood was not improved by the guests the Avatar had brought with him. The waterbender, Katara, was nice, kind of cute in a not-ready-to-acknowledge-her-traumas sort of way. She wasn’t the problem. Her brother was a pain in the neck, sexist, and an annoyance, but Suki knew how to deal with that type. She hadn’t been leading a group of all female warriors for the past few years for nothing and knew how to deal with a man who couldn’t accept that a woman might be better than him. 

The two firebenders were another story. Zuko and Azula. The banished prince and princess of the Fire Nation. They had both obviously turned traitor and weren’t serving the Fire Nation any more, but that did little to ease Suki’s concerns. They were still firebenders. Fire Nation Royalty. One wrong spark from them could set her whole town ablaze. 

Zuko at least seemed dedicated to avoiding the Kyoshi warriors as much as possible. He spent a lot of time either with the Avatar or exploring the island alone. Suki had a few of her warriors shadowing him to make sure he didn’t get up to trouble, however he seemed mostly interested in finding quiet places to meditate and focus on his breathing. 

Azula however had been tailing Suki in turn. Suki had seen the silent firebender following her around several times throughout the last several days. Each time she had been around her fellow warriors and could feel Azula staring at her. And she was here again while they trained. Watching. A glare on her face was made all the more serious by the scar on her face. 

Finally Suki had had enough of the glaring. She marched over to where Azula was sitting watching the warriors.

“Do you have some kind of problem with us?” Suki demanded. 

Azula’s hands started moving rapidly. Suki recognized it was a form of hand talk that the former princesses used to communicate. She had seen her talking to the others using the signs, however they were completely different then the basic hand symbols the Kyoshi warriors used to communicate tactics. 

“I don’t know what you’re saying!” Suki said, her frustration mounting. 

Suki stepped back as lightning arked around Azula’s hands. The flicking of her signs began to crackle and spark and Suki had to blink spots from her eyes from the brightness. She stepped back again, ready to take a fighting stance. Several of the other warriors had noticed her change in posture and were coming closer. 

“I can try and translate for you!” A voice called drawing the attention of the warriors and freezing Azula in place. 

Katara stepped up from the side. Suki had already noticed her to be something of a peacekeeper in their little group, but she kept her attention on the threat before her. Azula’s eyes widened at the sight of Katara, her whole body stiffened, and her perpetual frown seemed to loosen. 

“Azula, what were you saying?” Katara asked. 

Rather than answer, or repeat her earlier comments Azula stood up and stomped away from them, her hands still moving. 

"I am not a peasant!" Katara shouted after her. 

Suki hid her smile behind her fan. 

"Is she always like this?"

"I don't know, but it seems like it. She always gets mad at me when I try to talk to her. I'm trying to learn her sign language but she never gives me a chance."

"Hmm. If that's all then?" Suki turned to rejoin the rest of the warriors. Not before watching Katara's back as she walked away. Definitely cute. 

* * *

She next saw Azula that night. Suki and the other warriors who were off duty were relaxing near the center of the village. Her legs were currently tangled with the warrior to her left as she ran her fingers through the other girl’s hair. 

A brief flash of light caught her attention in the darkness. She stiffened and was about to sit up, when she saw it was Aang getting dragged over to them by Azula. She was obviously still agitated by whatever had her so upset since she’s been on the island. Small sparks would jump across her skin every few seconds and her hair was in a wild disarray. She shoved Aang down to sit with the warriors and sat next to him. Aang looked at her in slight confusion for a second before turning to face Suki. 

“Apparently Azula would like to ask a few questions. Do you have a moment?” Aang asked. 

“For the Avatar? Always.” Suki sat up a little but made no effort to leave the group. 

Azula looked at her nervously for a moment then turned and addressed Aang. Suki watched her signs, trying to pick out repeated words and guess what Azula was saying from Aang’s responses. 

“Yes I promise not to tell Zuko. Or Sokka. Or… how about I just promise not to tell anyone?”

Suki raised an eyebrow. Secret questions? Aang turned to her after watching Azula sign for a few more moments. 

“Will you promise not to tell anyone about this?” he asked her. 

Suki couldn’t help but glance around at the circle of girls around them. Every Kyoshi warrior was subtly listening in while pretending they were focusing on something else. 

“Well, if it makes this conversation happen faster I will promise not to tell anyone as long as nothing we discuss puts any person on Kyoshi Island at risk.”

Aang faced Azula again who scowled, finally she nodded and started asking questions. These again seemed to be addressed more to Aang then to Suki. 

“No. Yes. I guess men and women both if you want.” Aang’s answers to the questions piqued Suki’s interest further. Before she could puzzle out exactly what Azula was asking Aang turned to face her now. “Do you love your fellow Kyoshi Warriors?”

The question took Suki a little by surprise. 

“Of course I love them? I love everyone in this village and on this island. Don’t you find you fight harder when you are defending those you love?”

Azula looked thoughtful for a moment before she began a rapid series of signs. Small sparks jumped and popped across her fingers as she talked. 

“She doesn’t mean that kind of love.” Aang hesitated. “Azula, that’s kind of a personal question to ask.”

“Do you mean romantic love?” Suki said with a smile. She carefully watched Azula’s face. The slight blush on her face, mostly hidden by her scar. The eyes that twitched to look at the girl practically sitting on Suki’s lap. The tension around Katara. Ah. 

Suki turned to the girl she was sitting entwined with. A single finger on her chin moved the girl’s head to face her. Suki pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She could feel the other girl smile against her lips. She held her in a kiss for a moment, then two, before she leaned back. She smiled warmly at the other girl, staring deep into her eyes. Then she turned to face the two newcomers. 

Aang had a smile all the way up to his ears and Suki could practically see the stars in his eyes. His face was also beet red. Azula was staring, her eyes wide and her mouth flapping like one of the elephant koi. When Suki made eye contact she seemed to realize and reordered her face to her usual expression. She bowed and made as if to rise, but stopped when Suki’s hand shot out quick as a cat-snake to catch her wrist. 

“Has no one ever told you could love girls before?’ Suki said, completely seriously. She held Azula’s eyes for a moment. When she finally blinked Azula resettled on the ground and shook her head silently. 

“Wait. What?” Aang asked, his confusion clear on his face. 

“Aang since you’ve been gone, a lot has changed.” Suki said, keeping her voice soft. “The Fire Nation had banned homosexuality during the end of Sozen’s reign. Punishment ranges from fines or jail time to banishment or public humiliation.”

Now it was Aang’s turn for his jaw to drop. Though his confusion and surprise was mixed with anger. 

“But how can that be? During my time I knew many people who loved men or women or both or neither! Even in the Fire Nation.”

“Like I said. Things change. Sometimes for the worse.” Suki looked at Azula. She seemed stunned by the news. Suki moved her hand to Azula’s leg to get her attention. “You are outside of the Fire Nation’s control. You can love whoever you want. However they identify you are allowed to love them.”

Azula left shortly after Suki said that. She had a thoughtful expression on her face as she wandered into the darkness. Aang stayed to grouse about the changes and how his friend Kuzon had wanted a boyfriend, and on and on. Eventually Suki returned her attention the girl she was sitting with, then divided her attention as another girl came and sat on her lap. 

* * *

Another fireball arched through the night. Suki shouted orders to her Kyoshi Warriors as they worked to repel the Fire Nation incursion. Just like she had feared, word of the Avatar being on Kyoshi Island spread far quicker than she would like. The single Fire Nation vessel seemed to be the only that had heard and decided to investigate, for now. 

Suki charged forward ducking another fire blast before she was within range of the Fire Nation soldiers. The firebenders weren’t used to nonbenders attacking them. They expected to be attacked at range, with earthbending, not a bladed fan at their throat. The rest of her warriors sprinted forward engaging the soldiers wherever they could. They would not allow their home to fall under Fire Nation control. 

As Suki ran around the corner of a house she almost ran straight into Azula. The girl was staring at the roaring flames, terror clear on her face. Suki had been around older warriors enough to recognize the signs of a panic attack. She grabbed Azula and tried to drag her away, but the girl stood like she was rooted to the ground. 

Several soldiers broke from the attack to surround them. Suki couldn’t rush any of the soldiers without leaving Azula exposed, so she stood her ground, ready to make them fear the Kyoshi Warriors. The first drew his fist back, then unleashed a blast of fire at them. Suki could hear Azula’s breath stop at the sight of the flame flying towards her. 

A small wave of water and blast of steam signaled the arrival of Katara. She swung around and lashed out against one of the other soldiers before Aang landed beside her, a cyclone knocking the remaining soldiers flying into the air. He jumped and skipped to the next roof top to extinguish the flames there before releasing another blast of air. Katara turned to Azula and Suki. 

“Azula you need to get out of here!” Katara shouted over the roaring flames. “Suki, what happened? What’s wrong with her?”

“She froze up.” Suki said. 

She spun around Katara’s body to kick a helmeted head. Katara grabbed Azula’s shoulders and after a moment her eyes focused on her. 

“Azula go! Get Appa and Zuko. You can’t be seen. Aang, the Kyoshi Warriors and I will distract the Fire Nation. Go!”

Azula just looked at Katara for another moment before she nodded and ran up the hill towards were Appa was. Suki nodded to Katara and was about to rejoin the fight, when the screeching sound of twisting metal tore through the night. 

Suki smiled as the unagi tore a massive hole in the Fire Nation ship. The remaining soldiers turned to flee to their ship as a soft rain began to fall on the village. Aang had some how convinced the eel that protected Kyoshi Island to extinguish the flames in the village. Suki and her warriors drove the last of the soldiers from the island as Appa came soaring down. 

She watched Azula help Katara board the skybison. Then Aang jumped up to the bridle and they flew past the heavily damaged ship. Aang made sure to slice at the ship as they passed so the Fire Nation would know they were leaving. 

Suki looked around her smoking village. Perhaps Kyoshi Island had fought to remain outside the conflict for too long. 

* * *

**The Wall of Ba Sing Se, some time later**

Suki stood and watched as Team Avatar boarded the ferry into Ba Sing Se. They could have flown in on Appa, but decided it would be more appropriate to come in with the rest of the refugees. As she watched something caught her eye. 

Azula kept close to Katara, sat next to her, watched her with a lingering eye. Katara, almost unconsciously, kept her hand on Azula’s arm longer then necessary. She also carefully stood in front of the other girl when the guards tried to inspect her too closely. 

Suki could easily see the growing chemistry between the two girls. Hopefully soon one of them would make the leap. They would be cute together. Really cute. She let a smile slip up her face and left to find her own girlfriends. 

**Author's Note:**

> Suki is in an open relationship with the other Kyoshi Warriors. Eventually Mai and Ty Lee will join in. Maybe Toph too. In the mean time, Azula is a baby gay, just realizing she's been living in a society with compulsory heterosexuality. Suki is the more experienced gay who lets her know she can love who she wants. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at Elizabethemerald.tumblr.com send me asks about this AU!
> 
> What other scenes do you want to see?


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